Category:Berenice--music (subject)

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Works of music related to Berenice

Overview

As a love story, the affair between the Emperor Titus and Berenice for almost two centuries (mid-17th to mid-19th cent.) was a favorite operatic subject and attracted the attention of major composers. No work however reached that level of celebrity as to enter the contemporary repertoire.

Berenice always appears in company of Titus, not as an independent character. Her political role is downplayed, to focus solely on her unhappy love.

Berenice is alluded to, but is not present in the most popular libretto, La clemenza di Titus (1734) by Pietro Metastasio, which focuses on the life of Titus after the end of his love affair with the Jewish Queen.

In 1793 Tito e Berenice revived the interest on the love affair between Titus and Berenice and a few more operas followed, based on the subject (Berenice in Roma). Even some late versions of La clemenza di Tito" reintroduced Berenice as a singing character.

In 1909 Magnard made a final attempt to relaunch to character of Berenice. His opera is the only one to have been revived in recent years.

  • [[Berenice in Roma, dramma in 2 atti (Verona, Teatro Filarmonico, 1805) by Carlo Mellara (1778-1840)

Performing Berenice (singers)

On some occasions, in the earliest performances, Berenice was played to a male sopranist, like Benedetto Baldassarri in Rome, but already in the 18th century most of the interpreters were sopranos. Among them are some of the most famous prime donne of the time, including Antonia Maria Girelli

Year Berenice Opera / Oratorio Country
1714 Benedetto Baldassarri Tito e Berenice (Titus and Berenice / 1714 Caldara / Capece), opera (music & libretto), Rome premiere (cast) Italy
1725 Faustina Bordoni Berenice (1725 Orlandini / Pasqualigo), opera (music & libretto), Venice premiere (cast) Italy
1770 Antonia Maria Girelli [1]
[2] || Berenice (1770 Platania / Durandi), opera (music & libretto), Turin premiere (cast) || Italy
1793 Catterina Lang Tito e Berenice (Titus and Berenice / 1793 Nasolini / Foppa), opera (music & libretto), Venice premiere (cast) Italy
1824 Clotilde Colombelle Berenice in Roma (Berenice in Rome / 1824 Raimondi / Bordese), opera (music & libretto), Naples premiere (cast) Italy
1858 Elena Kennet La distruzione di Gerusalemme (The Destruction of Jerusalem / 1858 Pacini / Fioretti), oratorio (music & libretto), Florence premiere (cast) Italy
1911 Marguerite Mérentié Bérénice (1911 Ruhlmann / @1909 Magnard), opera, Paris premiere (cast) France
1992 Francoise Pollet Bérénice (1992 Soustrout / @1909 Magnard), opera, Montpellier production, sound recording (cast) France
2001 Virginia Todisco Bérénice (2001 Delogu / @1909 Magnard), opera, Marseille production, sound recording (cast) France
2011 Michaela Martens Bérénice (2011 Botstein / @1909 Magnard), opera, New York (Carnegie) production (cast) United States
2014 Catherine Hunold Bérénice (2014 Ossonce / @1909 Magnard), opera, Tours production (cast) France

Performing Berenice (dancers)

Pages in category "Berenice--music (subject)"

The following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total.

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